UFLBoard.com Fan Voice Survey – Results and Analysis

Welcome to the UFLBoard.com Fan Voice Survey Results and Analysis. This was our second year conducting a spring football poll at this site – last year’s was under the XFLBoard.com banner with questions that were released in July, before the news of merger discussions between the XFL and USFL broke. This year’s set of  questions are similar, however, in that we wanted to take the temperature of UFL fans, how they felt after year one, and how they feel heading into year two and beyond.

This year, while we kept the poll open for a week, the number of responses surpassed last year’s after just the first two days, and overall were up over 25% compared to last year. Not a surprise, as last year’s was geared exclusively toward XFL fans, while this year’s has the advantage of attracting both XFL and USFL fans that are now fans of the UFL. In all, over 200 responses were tabulated for the 12 questions, plus several general comments as well. Below are the results, as well as my analysis.

The results and analysis of last year’s survey can be found here.

1. How would you grade ownership on their overall performance in the first season of the UFL?

A	21.8%
B	57.4%
C	19.3%
D/F	1.5%

Analysis: Social media can be a den of negativity where it seems like ownership does nothing right. When it came to handing out grades, however, fans easily gave them passing marks. Notably, some may have been grading on a curve given the degree of difficulty in getting this project off the ground in such a short time frame: Remember, the UFL had only been in existence for two months or so before the league kicked off last March. That short runway may have been taken into account in the scoring here. Now, with a full off-season under their belt, expectations will be higher and the grading might not be as kind this time next year. Roughly the same percentage of voters gave XFL ownership a “B” grade in last year’s survey. There are far more “A” grades and far fewer “D/F” grades handed out to the FOX/Disney/RedBird group this year compared to last.

2. How would you assess the on-field play during this season of the UFL?

Better than I expected	53.2%
About what I expected	46.3%
Worse than I expected	0.5%

Analysis: If the UFL fails to catch on, it probably won’t be because the on-field product is subpar. Putting quality players on the field is one of the oft-discussed key components for the success of a spring league. Over half of our respondents were pleasantly surprised by the game play in the UFL in 2024. Seven percent said XFL 2023 quality of play was worse than expected, and it’s not a shock that, given the combining of the talent of the two leagues this past year, the number of votes in that category went down significantly.

3. Taking into account all aspects of production, which network do you believe had a better presentation of UFL games?

Fox	46.3%
ABC/ESPN	16.7%
No significant difference	36.9%

Analysis: In order to be seen as a major league product, the networks need to treat the UFL like a major league product. Fox and ABC/ESPN both did that, for the most part. While the broadcasts were similar in a lot of ways, each provided some distinction as well, to the point that voters very clearly felt Fox offered the better presentation. ABC and ESPN tended to lean more heavily on the betting aspect, which may have played a role here for fans tired of hearing about the over/under after each touchdown or field goal. A year on, expectations will be that both networks continue honing their in-game production since television presentation is such a crucial piece to the UFL’s success going forward.

4. How would you assess the live experience of a UFL game?

Better than I expected	35.6%
About what I expected	27.7%
Worse than I expected	3.5%
Did not attend	33.2%

Analysis: Last year, half of those responding to this question did not attend an XFL game. More of those who took this survey this year were at UFL games live. And they seemed to have positive reviews of the experience. In an effort to beef up attendance, the league has to make the live experience a memorable one, to attract new fans and to get fans who’ve already attended to come back for more games. The good vibes associated with the answers to this question are a feather in the cap of the hard-working folks in the local markets, tasked with selling tickets, coming up with gameday promotions, and advertising the teams in each city.

5. How would you assess the UFL’s merchandise selection on UFL Shop (taking into account variety, price, quality, etc.)?

Better than I expected	13.0%
About what I expected	46.0%
Worse than I expected	28.0%
No opinion	13.0%

Analysis: The XFL’s merchandise situation in 2023 was a downer, as half the people voted for the “worse than I expected” category. Without a lot of time to do so, the UFL erased a lot of that negative baggage and got the positive numbers up significantly. “About what I expected” garnered only 5.6% of the votes last year. This is an area I’d anticipate increasing in variety and quality as time goes on and the league is able to make deals with vendors and create more apparel and products to sell in the UFL Shop.

6. What is the most important thing the UFL needs to improve for season two?

More advertising of the league nationally	13.5%
More advertising of the league in team markets	48.0%
More competitive pay to attract quality players	13.5%
Stronger social media presence	1.0%
Better communication of league information (depth charts, injury reports, etc.) with fans	8.5%
Have games on more consistent timeslots/networks	0.0%
Higher quality of on-field play	10.5%
Other (Please specify below)	5.0%

Analysis: Despite offering eight options for this question, fans didn’t take the bait: They overwhelming felt more advertising is needed in team markets for season two. It was a similar story last year in the XFL, where 39.7% thought the same. For spring leagues looking to operate on a budget, the balancing act of doing so while also finding enough money to finance such advertising in team cities has proven challenging. As we are close to the end of the off-season at this point, there does seem to have been some traction in improving this aspect of the UFL. Will it be enough to make a difference? Time will tell. Curiously, almost 11% voted higher quality of on-field play as the most important, even as only one-half of one percent cited it as a weakness in a previous question.

A couple of open responses suggested expansion (off the table for season two at this point), and a few mentioned that the league should embrace fantasy football more as a way to potentially reach new fans. Someone who termed themselves a “previous employee” of the league opined that full-time social media departments needed to be hired, rather than that aspect being under the umbrella of “seasonal” employees (of note, this person also gave ownership a “D/F” grade, relevant since this is a former employee).

7. What is your biggest concern about the UFL moving forward?

Long-term financial backing from ownership	32.0%
Television ratings	5.9%
Attendance	33.0%
Viability of certain franchise(s) in current markets	13.3%
Lack of franchises in key regions of the country	11.8%
Other (please specify below)	3.9%

Analysis: Spring football fans are inherently pessimistic, and rightly so given the history in this space. So what concerns fans the most? It’s almost an equal split between attendance and long-term financial backing from ownership. Attendance won’t make-or-break the UFL; it’ll certainly be a contributing factor. But long-term financial backing from ownership IS something that could make-or-break the league, and there are more factors that will go into that decision than just attendance. Television ratings was tops in this question last year for the XFL; the combination of Fox and ESPN having an ownership stake in the league, as well as the positive ratings numbers from the UFL’s initial season seems to have lessened that worry heading into year two.

In the comments section for this question, multiple people mentioned the schedule, from San Antonio’s one home game to the concerns surrounding Friday night games, specifically one person noting that their work schedule prevents them from attending these games after they had already purchased season tickets. Other concerns had to do with engaging the local fanbases, as well as casual football fans, in the product.

8. What was your favorite gameplay rule unique to the UFL?

Kickoff from the 20-yard line	8.9%
Tiered extra points	14.8%
4th-and-15 option in 4th quarter when trailing or tied	17.2%
Coaches can challenge any play	22.2%
Clock rules meant to speed up game	3.0%
Liked them all	33.0%
Other (please specify below)	1.0%

Analysis: Long a petri dish for unique gameplay innovations, spring football leagues have the luxury of being able to try things out that other, more established leagues would shy away from. UFL leadership worked hard to combine some of the best rules of the USFL and XFL in 2024. One-third of fans voting in our survey couldn’t pick their favorite unique rule, as they liked them all. A frustrating aspect of watching NFL or college games is when a play is clearly missed by the officials, yet falls under the category of one that is not allowed to be challenged. Fans liked the idea that UFL coaches could challenge any play. The 4th-and-15 option and tiered extra points were also particularly popular among voters. More than one person in the comments used that space to advocate for the return of the XFL kickoff.

9. What was your least favorite gameplay rule unique to the UFL?

Kickoff from the 20-yard line	31.1%
Tiered extra points	18.7%
4th-and-15 option in 4th quarter when trailing or tied	9.8%
Coaches can challenge any play	7.8%
Clock rules meant to speed up game	19.2%
Other (please specify below)	13.5%

Analysis: The most controversial gameplay innovation of 2024 was one that was NOT used – that being the XFL-style kickoff, which was eschewed for the more traditional kickoff. Taking the kickoff back to the 20-yard line ensured more kickoffs would be returned, which was also one of the main intentions of the XFL kickoff. Many were not fans of the use of the more traditional kickoff. The clock rules meant to speed up the game could be confusing to new viewers. That landed in second place. There may be a push to institute the option to kick extra points for 2025. The lack of kicking extra points may have played a part in the tiered extra points getting a sizable share of votes in this category. In the comments, several people noted they liked all the rules. Others mentioned the utilization of the USFL kickoff as well as the two foot in-bounds rule for catches over the one-foot in bounds rule.

10. Should the UFL adopt the XFL-style kickoff for 2025?

Yes	58.1%
No	32.5%
No opinion	9.4%

Analysis: To be fair, this originally having been an XFL-focused site may have played a part in the results of this question overwhelmingly supporting the XFL-style kickoff for 2025. The fact that the NFL took that rule for this season should make it more attractive to UFL decision-makers, whose main purpose in keeping the USFL’s kickoff rule was to give NFL personnel men a more apples-to-apples comparison when scouting potential special teams coverage players in the UFL. The UFL has not announced any changes to its rulebook for 2025; if there are any, I’d expect that announcement to be made much closer to training camp.

11. Should the UFL have expanded its number of teams in year two?

Yes	44.3%
No	45.3%
No opinion	10.3%

Analysis: Expansion is always a hot topic among spring football fans, so the results of this question are very interesting: It’s a pretty even split among those that believe the UFL should hold off before expanding, and those believing the league should’ve added more teams for year two. I envy those who have no opinion on this and presumably don’t partake in the endless expansion banter occurring online.

12. If the UFL expands in the future, what should be its first new market?

Phoenix	2.5%
Chicago	4.0%
San Diego	16.4%
Los Angeles	2.0%
New York City	4.5%
Canton	13.4%
Orlando	5.5%
Seattle	18.4%
Oakland	6.5%
Other (please specify below)	26.9%

Analysis: I tried to provide a comprehensive list of potential expansion locations, but over a quarter of respondents cited a location not among the nine listed here. Clearly, UFL fans believe a presence out west is important for the league, with the top two results of those offered being Seattle and San Diego. Seattle has two years of XFL history in 2020 and 2023, doing very well attendance-wise in 2020 before trailing off a bit in 2023. San Diego drew some solid numbers with the Alliance of American Football in 2019. We know that success years ago doesn’t necessarily translate to success today, plus California is an expensive place to field a team. Canton also got a respectable amount of votes. That city was a hub for the USFL in 2023 and also the place their championship game was played that season. While itself not a large media market, it is combined with Cleveland and Akron to be the 19th largest in the country.

Among other markets that got a plurality of votes, New Orleans was the clubhouse leader with a dozen write-in votes. Columbus, Ohio had 11 while Philadelphia, Oklahoma, and Hartford received three votes each. In total, almost 20 locations were suggested outside of those listed in the question. A few people mentioned no specific city, but rather expanding to locations in which the NFL did not already have a presence.

There was also space for any other comments voters wanted to make outside of the questions asked above. By and large, there was a lot of optimism expressed there, even if many fans are aware of and acknowledge some of the challenges the UFL has ahead and what they can do to mitigate those challenges. For example, many expressed concern about teams lacking a presence in their communities, something that unfortunately comes with the hub setup. Also, increasing marketing was a constant refrain in these comments. At the same time, a few mentioned their support for the league being judicious financially and how that will hopefully allow the UFL to sustain itself into the future.

Others used the final comments to continue to stump for expansion locations. Still others suggested a player allocation system where teams would have rights to players from colleges local to them. Increased star power among players and coaches were ideas broached as well. UFL leadership should see these results as a positive, and that most fans and members of league brass seem to be on the same page when it comes to improvements that need to be made in the year one to year two jump and beyond.